Tracking method and device

ABSTRACT

A tracking method includes obtaining first characteristic information of a target object through a first camera. The tracking method also includes obtaining second characteristic information of the target object through a second camera. The tracking method further includes tracking the target object based on at least one of the first characteristic information or the second characteristic information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2017/085876, filed on May 25, 2017, the entirecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technology field of unmannedaerial vehicles and, more particularly, to a tracking method and device.

BACKGROUND

As the advancement of the science and technology, unmanned aerialvehicle (“UAV”) has increasingly rich functions. The application fieldsof the UAV are also continuingly expanding, including professionalaerial photographing, power line inspection, etc. In a UAV application,target tracking is a very practical and important function, which mayassist a user in setting a target object as a focus of the UAV. The usercan track the target object or circling around the target object andobserve the target object from different perspectives. As a result, theuser is relieved from complicated operation processes.

When currently available technologies use the UAV to track a targetobject, it is difficult to track a target that has few characteristicsor a small volume. When tracking the target, the gimbal may beautomatically locked. Thus, it becomes difficult to adjust a trackingangle based on a user desired angle. It has become a research hotspot tofind solutions to solve these issues.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a tracking method that includes obtaining first characteristicinformation of a target object through a first camera. The trackingmethod also includes obtaining second characteristic information of thetarget object through a second camera. The tracking method furtherincludes tracking the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a tracking device. The tracking device includes a firstacquisition apparatus configured to obtain first characteristicinformation of a target object through a first camera. The trackingdevice also includes a second acquisition apparatus configured to obtainsecond characteristic information of the target object through a secondcamera. The tracking device further includes a tracking apparatusconfigured to track the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic information.

According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, a UAV mayinclude a first gimbal, a second gimbal, a first camera, and a secondcamera. The first gimbal may be configured to control an attitude of thefirst camera, and the second gimbal may be configured to control anattitude of the second camera. The UAV may obtain first characteristicinformation of a target object through the first camera, and obtainsecond characteristic information of the target object through thesecond camera. The UAV may track the target object based on at least oneof the first characteristic information or the second characteristicinformation. The method and device disclosed herein may significantlyimprove the tracking performance and expand the applicable scope oftracking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To better describe the technical solutions of the various embodiments ofthe present disclosure, the accompanying drawings showing the variousembodiments will be briefly described. As a person of ordinary skill inthe art would appreciate, the drawings show only some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure, those having ordinary skills in the art could derive otherembodiments and drawings based on the disclosed drawings withoutinventive efforts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a UAV, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a tracking method, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method, accordingto another example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method, accordingto another example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method, accordingto another example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method, accordingto another example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a tracking device, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another tracking device, according toanother example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawings, in which the same numbers referto the same or similar elements unless otherwise specified. It will beappreciated that the described embodiments represent some, rather thanall, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodimentsconceived or derived by those having ordinary skills in the art based onthe described embodiments without inventive efforts should fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, when a first component (or unit, element, member, part,piece) is referred to as “coupled,” “mounted,” “fixed,” “secured” to orwith a second component, it is intended that the first component may bedirectly coupled, mounted, fixed, or secured to or with the secondcomponent, or may be indirectly coupled, mounted, or fixed to or withthe second component via another intermediate component. The terms“coupled,” “mounted,” “fixed,” and “secured” do not necessarily implythat a first component is permanently coupled with a second component.The first component may be detachably coupled with the second componentwhen these terms are used. When a first component is referred to as“connected” to or with a second component, it is intended that the firstcomponent may be directly connected to or with the second component ormay be indirectly connected to or with the second component via anintermediate component. The connection may include mechanical and/orelectrical connections. The connection may be permanent or detachable.The electrical connection may be wired or wireless. When a firstcomponent is referred to as “disposed,” “located,” or “provided” on asecond component, the first component may be directly disposed, located,or provided on the second component or may be indirectly disposed,located, or provided on the second component via an intermediatecomponent. When a first component is referred to as “disposed,”“located,” or “provided” in a second component, the first component maybe partially or entirely disposed, located, or provided in, inside, orwithin the second component. The terms “perpendicular,” “horizontal,”“vertical,” “left,” “right,” “up,” “upward,” “upwardly,” “down,”“downward,” “downwardly,” and similar expressions used herein are merelyintended for describing relative positional relationship.

In addition, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” and the likespecify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements,and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups. The term “and/or” used herein includes any suitable combinationof one or more related items listed. For example, A and/or B can mean Aonly, A and B, and B only. The symbol “/” means “or” between the relateditems separated by the symbol. The phrase “at least one of” A, B, or Cencompasses all combinations of A, B, and C, such as A only, B only, Conly, A and B, B and C, A and C, and A, B, and C. In this regard, Aand/or B can mean at least one of A or B. The term “module” as usedherein includes hardware components or devices, such as circuit,housing, sensor, connector, etc. The term “communicatively couple(d)” or“communicatively connect(ed)” indicates that related items are coupledor connected through a communication channel, such as a wired orwireless communication channel. The term “unit” or “module” mayencompass a hardware component, a software component, or a combinationthereof. For example, a “unit” or “module” may include a processor, aportion of a processor, an algorithm, a portion of an algorithm, acircuit, a portion of a circuit, etc.

Further, when an embodiment illustrated in a drawing shows a singleelement, it is understood that the embodiment may include a plurality ofsuch elements. Likewise, when an embodiment illustrated in a drawingshows a plurality of such elements, it is understood that the embodimentmay include only one such element. The number of elements illustrated inthe drawing is for illustration purposes only, and should not beconstrued as limiting the scope of the embodiment. Moreover, unlessotherwise noted, the embodiments shown in the drawings are not mutuallyexclusive, and they may be combined in any suitable manner. For example,elements shown in one embodiment but not another embodiment maynevertheless be included in the other embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a UAV. As shownin FIG. 1, the UAV of the present disclosure may include a body 10, afirst gimbal 11, a second gimbal 12, a first camera 13, and a secondcamera 14. The first camera 13 may be mounted to the body 10 of the UAVthrough the first gimbal 11. The second camera 14 may be mounted to thebody 10 of the UAV through the second gimbal 12. The first gimbal 11 maybe configured to control an attitude of the first camera 13. The secondgimbal 12 may be configured to control an attitude of the second camera14.

The schematic diagram of the UAV shown in FIG. 1 includes two camerasand two gimbals corresponding to the two cameras as an exampleembodiment. It is understood that the number of cameras and number ofgimbals included in the UAV are not limited by the present disclosure.For example, the UAV may include at least two imaging devices, and atleast two gimbals corresponding to the at least two imaging devices. Insome embodiments, the UAV may include two imaging devices and twogimbals corresponding to the two imaging devices. In some embodiments,the UAV may include more than two imaging devices and/or gimbals, suchas four imaging devices and four gimbals corresponding to the twoimaging devices. The imaging device may be a camera, a camcorder, orother types of imaging device, which is not limited by the presentdisclosure. For illustrative purposes, cameras are used as examples ofthe imaging devices.

In some embodiments, the tracking method and tracking device describedbelow can be implemented in the UAV described herein. As an example, theUAV may be the UAV shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the tracking methodand tracking device described below may be implemented in the UAV thatincludes the first gimbal 11, the second gimbal 12, the first camera 13,and the second camera 14. For tracking method and tracking deviceimplemented in a UAV having more than two gimbals and cameras, thedescriptions can refer to the descriptions of the embodiment in whichthe tracking method and tracking device are implemented in a UAV havingtwo gimbals and two cameras.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a tracking method. The trackingmethod may include:

Step S201: obtaining, by a UAV, first characteristic information of atarget object.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera mounted to thefirst gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives a controlcommand (or in response to receiving a control command), the UAV maycontrol the first camera based on an instruction included in the controlcommand to acquire first image information that includes the targetobject, thereby further obtaining the first characteristic informationof the target object based on the first image information that includesthe target object. The first characteristic information may includecolor information, such as red (R), green (G), and blue (B), i.e., RGBcolor information. The first camera 13 may be an ordinary camera. Theordinary camera may obtain the RGB color information of the targetobject. In some embodiments, the first camera may be other type ofcameras configured to obtain other type of characteristic information ofthe target object, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

Step S202: obtaining, by the UAV, second characteristic information ofthe target object through the second camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the second characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera mounted tothe second gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives acontrol command (or in response to receiving a control command), the UAVmay control the second camera based on an instruction included in thecontrol command to acquire second image information that includes thetarget object, and thereby further obtaining the second characteristicinformation of the target object based on the second image informationthat includes the target object. The second characteristic informationmay include heat distribution information. The second camera may be aninfrared camera configured to obtain the heat distribution informationof the target object. In some embodiments, the second camera may beother types of cameras configured to obtain other types ofcharacteristic information of the target object, which is not limited bythe present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the first characteristic information and the secondcharacteristic information may include profile information of the targetobject. The first camera and the second camera may be different types ofcameras. Thus, the type of the first characteristic information of thetarget object obtained by the first camera may be different from thetype of the second characteristic information of the target objectobtained by the second camera. When the type of the first characteristicinformation is different from the type of the second characteristicinformation, in some application scenes, the first characteristicinformation of the target object may compensate for deficiency of thesecond characteristic information, or the second characteristicinformation of the target object may compensate for the deficiency ofthe first characteristic information. Tracking the target object basedon different characteristic information may effective solve a problem oflosing track of the target when tracking the target object based on onetype of characteristic information. In some embodiments, the firstcamera and the second camera are the same type of cameras. Then the typeof the first characteristic information of the target object obtained bythe first camera may be the same as the type of the secondcharacteristic information of the target object obtained by the secondcamera. When the types of the first characteristic information and thesecond characteristic information are the same, the first characteristicinformation and the second characteristic information of the targetobject may be fused together to obtain clearer and more accuratecharacteristic information of the target object.

Step S203: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on at least oneof the first characteristic information or the second characteristicinformation.

In some embodiments, the UAV may track the target object based on thefirst characteristic information of the target object and a presettracking algorithm. In some embodiments, the UAV may track the targetobject based on the second characteristic information of the targetobject and the preset tracking algorithm. In some embodiments, the UAVmay track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation and the second characteristic information of the targetobject and the preset tracking algorithm. The present disclosure doesnot limit how the UAV tracks the target object based on the first and/orsecond characteristic information.

In some embodiments, tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on atleast one of the first characteristic information or the secondcharacteristic information may include: simultaneously tracking, by theUAV through the first camera and the second camera, the target objectbased on the first characteristic information and the secondcharacteristic information.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first obtain location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera based on the first imageinformation that includes the target object that is acquired by thefirst camera and the obtained first characteristic information of thetarget object. The UAV may obtain location information of the targetobject relative to the second camera based on the second imageinformation that includes the target object that is acquired by thesecond camera and the obtained second characteristic information of thetarget object. In some embodiments, the location information of thetarget object relative to the first camera or the second camera mayinclude: an azimuth angle of the target object relative to the firstcamera or the second camera, location information of the target objectin the first camera or the second camera. The UAV may fuse the locationinformation of the target object relative to the first camera and thelocation information of the target object relative to the second camerato obtain fused location information of the target object relative tothe first camera and the second camera. The fused location informationof the target object relative to the first camera and the second cameraindicates a best location of the target object relative to the firstcamera and the second camera. Then, based on the fused locationinformation of the target object relative to the first camera and thesecond camera, the UAV may adjust the attitudes of the first gimbal andthe second gimbal, thereby changing attitude information of the firstcamera and attitude information of the second camera, such that thelocation of the target object relative to the first camera and thesecond camera is the best. Finally, the UAV may simultaneously track thetarget object based on the first characteristic information and thesecond characteristic information through the first camera and thesecond camera, in both of which attitude information has been changed.Through the above method, the target object may be tracked based ondifferent characteristic information of the target object, therebyimproving the tracking performance of the UAV.

In some embodiments, tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on atleast one of the first characteristic information or the secondcharacteristic information may include: the UAV may first track thetarget object based on the first characteristic information through thefirst camera. Then, when the UAV receives a tracking switch command (orin response to receiving a tracking switch command), the UAV may obtainthird characteristic information of the target object through the secondcamera and track the target object based on the third characteristicinformation through the second camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first track the target object based onthe first characteristic information of the target object through thefirst camera. In the meantime, the second camera may track the targetobject in other regions of the environment in which the target object islocated. If an image of the other regions captured by the second cameraincludes the target object, then when the UAV receives the trackingswitch command (or then in response to receiving the tracking switchcommand), the UAV may obtain the third characteristic information of thetarget object through the second camera. The UAV may track the targetobject based on the third characteristic information through the secondcamera. If the image of the other regions captured by the second cameradoes not include the target object, then when the UAV receives thetracking switch command (or in response to receiving the tracking switchcommand), the UAV may first obtain location information of the targetobject relative to the first camera, and then obtain locationinformation of the target object relative to the second camera based onthe location information of the target object relative to the firstcamera and a characteristic parameter of the second camera. The UAV mayperform a tracking initialization based on the location information ofthe target object relative to the second camera. The trackinginitialization may include: adjusting attitude information of the secondcamera, tuning a parameter of the second camera, and controlling thesecond camera to observe or track the target object, such that thesecond camera can capture an image of the target object. In someembodiments, the image of the target object may appear at a bestlocation in the field of view of the second camera. Finally, the UAV mayobtain the third characteristic information of the target object throughthe second camera, and track the target object based on the thirdcharacteristic information through the second camera.

In some embodiments, obtaining, by the UAV, the location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera may include: if thetarget object does not have a communication function, the UAV maycalculate the azimuth angle of the target object relative to the UAVbased on the characteristic parameter of the first camera and relatedinformation included in the image information obtained by the firstcamera that includes the target object. If the target object has acommunication function, the UAV may receive location information of thetarget object transmitted by the target object. The location informationof the target object may include any one of: the location information ofthe target object itself, or the location information of the targetobject relative to the UAV. The UAV may also obtain the locationinformation of the target object through a positioning device preset onthe UAV and the target object. The positioning device may include aglobal positioning system (“GPS”). In some embodiments, thecharacteristic parameter of the first camera or the characteristicparameter of the second camera may include at least one of a cameraparameter or attitude information.

In some embodiments, after the UAV receives the tracking switch command(or in response to receiving the tracking switch command), during theprocess of the UAV tracking the target object based on the thirdcharacteristic information of the target object obtained through thesecond camera, the UAV may simultaneously track the target object basedon the first characteristic information of the target object through thefirst camera. In some embodiments, the UAV may control the first camerato shut down or sleep, thereby terminating the tracking of the targetobject through the first camera. The present disclosure does not limitmethods of tracking the target object.

In some embodiments, while the UAV tracks the target object based on thefirst characteristic information of the target object through the firstcamera, the second camera may be in a non-operation state (e.g., sleepstate or shut down state). When the UAV receives the tracking switchcommand (or in response to receiving the tracking switch command), theUAV may first start the second camera, and then obtain image informationof a certain region of the environment in which the target object islocated through the second camera. Finally, the UAV may determine aprocessing method based on whether an image of the certain regioncaptured by the second camera includes the target object. The detaileddescriptions of the process can refer to the above descriptions, whichare not repeated.

In some embodiments, the first camera and the second camera of the UAVmay maintain a linked mode. In other words, the first camera and thesecond camera of the UAV may maintain parallel perspectives. Attitude ofthe second gimbal of the UAV may change correspondingly as the attitudeof the first gimbal changes. In some embodiments, tracking, by the UAV,the target object based on at least one of the first characteristicinformation or the second characteristic information may include: whilethe UAV tracks the target object based on the first characteristicinformation through the first camera, obtaining attitude information ofthe first gimbal and adjust attitude of the second gimbal based on theattitude information of the first gimbal, such that the attitude of thesecond camera is consistent with the attitude of the first camera. Next,the UAV may tune a camera parameter of the second camera, and obtainimage information of a regional area of the target object through thesecond camera. The camera parameter may include the zoom magnification,the photosensitivity, etc. Through the above method, while tracking thetarget object through the first camera, the image information of theregional area of the target object may be obtained through the secondcamera. As a result, while tracking of the target object is maintained,useful information of the target object may be accurately obtained.

In some embodiments, after the UAV obtains the image information of theregional area of the target object through the second camera, while thetarget object is tracked based on the first characteristic informationthrough the first camera, the regional area of the target object may betracked based on the image information of the regional area of thetarget object through the second camera.

In some embodiments, the first camera of the UAV and the second cameraof the UAV may be independently operated. In some embodiments, tracking,by the UAV, the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic information mayinclude: while tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on thefirst characteristic information through the first camera, if the UAVreceives a control command input by a user, adjusting attitude of thesecond gimbal based on the control command. In some embodiments, byadjusting the attitude of the second camera, an object of interest maybe selected from an environment in which the target object is located.In some embodiments, during the process of adjusting, by the UAV, theattitude of the second gimbal based on the control command input by theuser, if the UAV receives target confirmation command input by the user,the UAV may determine an object corresponding to the confirmationcommand in a current image captured by the second camera as the objectof interest. Finally, the UAV may obtain image information of the objectof interest through the second camera. Through the above method, whilethe target object is tracked through the first camera, the second gimbalmay be freely controlled. In addition, the UAV may observe or track oneor more objects of interest adjacent the target object through thesecond camera. The disclosed method may expand the applicable scope ofthe UAV tracking, and improve the UAV tracking performance.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control attitude of the first camera. The second gimbalmay be configured to control attitude of the second camera. In someembodiments, the UAV may obtain first characteristic information of thetarget object through the first camera, and obtain second characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera. The UAV maytrack the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic information. Thedisclosed method may improve the tracking performance and expand theapplicable scope of the tracking.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method. Thetracking method shown in FIG. 3 may include:

Step S301: obtaining, by a UAV, first characteristic information of atarget object through a first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera mounted to thefirst gimbal of the UAV. In some embodiments, when the UAV receives acontrol command, the UAV may control the first camera based on aninstruction included in the control command to acquire first imageinformation that includes the target object. The UAV may obtain thefirst characteristic information of the target object based on the firstimage information that includes the target object. In some embodiments,the first characteristic information may include RGB color information.The first camera may be an ordinary camera configured to obtain the RGBcolor information of the target object. In some embodiments, the firstcamera may be other types of cameras configured to obtain other types ofcharacteristic information of the target object, which is not limited bythe present disclosure.

Step S302: obtaining, by the UAV, second characteristic information ofthe target object through a second camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the second characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera mounted tothe second gimbal of the UAV. In some embodiments, when the UAV receivesa control command, the UAV may control the second camera based on aninstruction included in the control command to acquire second imageinformation that includes the target object. The UAV may obtain thesecond characteristic information of the target object based on thesecond image information of the target object. In some embodiments, thesecond characteristic information may include heat distributioninformation. The second camera may be an infrared camera configured toobtain heat distribution information of the target object. In someembodiments, the second camera may be other types of cameras configuredto obtain other types of characteristic information of the targetobject, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

Step S303: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on the firstcharacteristic information and the second characteristic informationthrough the first camera and the second camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first obtain location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera based on the first imageinformation that includes the target object that is acquired by thefirst camera and the obtained first characteristic information of thetarget object. The UAV may obtain location information of the targetobject relative to the second camera based on the second imageinformation that includes the target object that is acquired by thesecond camera and the obtained second characteristic information of thetarget object. In some embodiments, the location information of thetarget object relative to the first camera or the second camera mayinclude: an azimuth angle of the target object relative to the firstcamera or the second camera, location information of the target objectin the first camera or the second camera. The UAV may fuse the locationinformation of the target object relative to the first camera and thelocation information of the target object relative to the second camerato obtain fused location information of the target object relative tothe first camera and the second camera. The fused location informationof the target object relative to the first camera and the second cameraindicates a best location of the target object relative to the firstcamera and the second camera. Then, based on the fused locationinformation of the target object relative to the first camera and thesecond camera, the UAV may adjust the attitudes of the first gimbal andthe second gimbal, thereby changing attitude information of the firstcamera and attitude information of the second camera, such that thelocation of the target object relative to the first camera and thesecond camera is the best. Finally, the UAV may simultaneously track thetarget object based on a preset tracking algorithm, the firstcharacteristic information, and the second characteristic informationthrough the first camera and the second camera, in both of which theattitude information has been changed. In some embodiments, the firstcharacteristic information and the second characteristic information mayinclude profile information of the target object. In some embodiments,the first camera and the second camera may be different types ofcameras. Thus, the first characteristic information of the target objectobtained through the first camera and the second characteristicinformation of the target object obtained through the second camera maybe of different types. Through the above method, the target object maybe tracked based on different characteristic information of the targetobject, thereby improving the tracking performance of the UAV.

In some embodiments, the UAV may track the target object by fusingdifferent advantageous characteristics of different cameras. Next, anRGB camera and a thermal imaging camera are used as examples. Thepresent disclosure does not limit the cameras to be these two types ofcameras. For the RGB camera, the advantageous characteristics includecolor information and gradient information of the an RGB image. For thethermal imaging camera, the advantageous characteristics include heatdistribution information. Compared with the heat distributioninformation, the RGB color information may be richer and finer, and maybe closer to human eyes. Therefore, the RGB color information maycompensate for the non-intuitive disadvantages of the heat distributioninformation. On the other hand, heat distribution information is notsensitive to interference by light in the environment, which cancompensate for the disadvantages of the RGB sensor, which is sensitiveto the change in the environment. The UAV may fuse the RGB colorinformation and the heat distribution information for tracking thetarget object. This method may combine the advantageous characteristicsof the RGB camera and the thermal imaging camera, which compensate forthe disadvantageous characteristics of each other. As a result, bettertracking of the target object can be achieved.

In the conventional technologies, a UAV can only carry one type ofcamera, and can track the target object based on characteristicinformation of the target object obtained by one camera. As a result,the applicable scope of the tracking is limited. The UAV of the presentdisclosure may include dual gimbals, and may carry two different typesof cameras at the same time. The UAV may combine the advantageouscharacteristics of the different cameras to track the same target, whichmay improve the tracking performance of the UAV and expand theapplicable scope of tracking. For example, in power line inspections,the UAV may perform the inspects along the power line. When the UAVtracks the thin power line, if the UAV carries only an ordinary camera,the size of the pixel of the power line may be too small for theordinary camera. Thus, the characteristics of the power line is notobvious, and it is difficult to track the power line in a complex wildenvironment. If, however, tracking the thin power line is simultaneouslycarried out in combination with a thermal imaging camera, it becomeseasy to track an object whose temperature is higher than anenvironmental temperature through the thermal imaging camera. In themeantime, the thermal imaging camera may not be affected byenvironmental factors, such as exposure to light. Thus, the disclosedtechnology may better perform the inspection tasks. As another example,when the UAV is used to assist police in tracking a criminal suspect, ifthe UAV carries only the ordinary camera, then it becomes easy to losetrack of the target due to the lighting. If, however, tracking thetracking target is simultaneously performed using a thermal imagingcamera, heat distribution information of the tracking target may beobtained through the thermal imaging camera. It then becomes easy totrack the target and not easy to lose the track of the target.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control attitude of the first camera, and the secondgimbal may be configured to control attitude of the second camera. TheUAV may obtain first characteristic information of the target objectthrough the first camera, and obtain the second characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera. Then the UAVmay track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation and the second characteristic information. The disclosedmethod can significantly improve the tracking performance and expand theapplicable scope of the tracking.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method. Thetracking method may include:

Step S401: obtaining, by a UAV, first characteristic information of atarget object through a first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera mounted to afirst gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives a controlcommand, the UAV may control the first camera based on an instructionincluded in the control command to acquire first image information thatincludes the target object, and to obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object based on the first image informationthat includes the target object. The first characteristic informationmay include RGB color information. The first camera may be an ordinarycamera configured to obtain the RGB color information of the targetobject. In some embodiments, the first camera may be other types ofcameras configured to obtain other types of characteristic informationof the target object, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

Step S402: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on the firstcharacteristic information through the first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first obtain location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera based on the first imageinformation that includes the target object acquired by the first cameraand the obtained first characteristic information of the target object.The location information of the target object relative to the firstcamera may include: an azimuth angle of the target object relative tothe first camera, the location information of the target object in thefirst camera. Then, the UAV may adjust the first gimbal based on thelocation information of the target object relative to the first camera,thereby changing attitude information of the first camera. Finally, theUAV may track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation and a preset tracking algorithm through the first camerawhose attitude has been changed.

Step S403: when the UAV receives a tracking switch command (or inresponse to receiving a tracking switch command), obtaining, by the UAV,third characteristic information of the target object through the secondcamera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the third characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera mounted tothe second gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives acontrol command, the UAV may control the second camera based on aninstruction included in the control command to acquire third imageinformation that includes the target object, and to obtain the thirdcharacteristic information of the target object based on the third imageinformation that includes the target object. The third characteristicinformation may include heat distribution information. The second cameramay be an infrared camera configured to obtain the heat distributioninformation of the target object. In some embodiments, the second cameramay be other types of cameras configured to obtain other types ofcharacteristic information of the target object, which is not limited bythe present disclosure.

In some embodiments, prior to the UAV obtaining the third characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera, the UAV mayfirst obtain location information of the target object in the secondcamera. For example, the UAV may first calculate the azimuth angle ofthe target object relative to the UAV based on a characteristicparameter of the first camera, such as through the following exampleequations:

yaw_target=yaw_gimbal1+FOV_X1*box1.x/width1;

pitch_target=pitch_gimbal1+FOV_Y1*box1.y/height1;

width_target=FOV_X1*box1.w/width1;

height_target=FOV_Y1*box1.h/height1;

Then, the UAV may calculate the location information of the targetobject in the second camera based on the azimuth angle of the targetobject relative to the first camera and a characteristic parameter ofthe second camera, such as through the following example equations:

box2.x=(yaw_target−yaw_gimbal2)*width2/FOV_X2;

box2.y=(pitch_target−pitch_gimbal2)*height2/FOV_Y2;

box2.w=width_target*width2/FOV_X2;

box2.h=height_target*height2/FOV_Y2;

In the above equations, the location of the target object in the camerais represented by box (x:center_x y:center_y w:width w:height).yaw_gimbal1 and pitch_gimbal1 represent the lateral angle and thelongitudinal angle of the first gimbal, respectively. yaw_gimbal2 andpitch_gimbal2 represent the lateral angle and the longitudinal angle ofthe second gimbal, respectively. width1 and height1 represent the widthand height of images in the first camera, respectively. width2 andheight2 represent the width and height of the images in the secondcamera. width_target and height_target represent the angle occupied bythe target object in the lateral direction and the longitudinaldirection, respectively. FOV_X and FOV_Y represent the field of viewangle in the horizontal direction and vertical direction.

Next, a tracking initialization may be performed to the UAV based on thelocation information of the target object relative to the second camera.The tracking initialization may include: adjusting attitude informationof the second camera, tuning a parameter of the second camera, etc. Thecharacteristic parameter of the first camera and the characteristicparameter of the second camera may include at least one of a cameraparameter or attitude information.

Step S404: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on the thirdcharacteristic information through the second camera.

In some embodiments, the method in which the UAV tracks the targetobject based on the third characteristic information through the secondcamera may refer to the above descriptions of tracking, by the UAV, thetarget object based on the first characteristic information through thefirst camera, which are not repeated.

In some embodiments, after the UAV receives a tracking switch command(or in response to receiving a tracking switch command), during theprocess of tracking the target object based on the third characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera, the UAV maysimultaneously track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera, or controlthe first camera to shut down or sleep, thereby terminating the trackingof the target object through the first camera, which are not limited bythe present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control attitude of the first camera, and the secondgimbal may be configured to control attitude of the second camera. Whenthe UAV tracks the target object based on the obtained firstcharacteristic information of the target object through the firstcamera, if the UAV receives a tracking switch command, the UAV may trackthe target object based on the obtained third characteristic informationof the target object through the second camera. As a result, thedisclosed method may significantly improve the tracking performance.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method. Thetracking method may include:

Step S501: obtaining, by a UAV, first characteristic information of atarget object through a first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera mounted to thefirst gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives a controlcommand, the UAV may control the first camera based on an instructionincluded in the control command to acquire first image information thatincludes the target object, and to obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object based on the first image informationthat includes the target object. The first characteristic informationmay include RGB color information. The first camera may be an ordinarycamera configured to obtain the RGB color information of the targetobject. The first camera may be other types of cameras configured toobtain other types of characteristic information of the target object,which is not limited by the present disclosure.

Step S502: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on the firstcharacteristic information through the first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first obtain location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera based on the first imageinformation that includes the target object acquired by the first cameraand the obtained first characteristic information of the target object.The location information of the target object relative to the firstcamera may include: an azimuth angle of the target object relative tothe first camera, the location information of the target object in thefirst camera. Then, the UAV may adjust the first gimbal based on thelocation information of the target object relative to the first camera,thereby changing attitude information of the first camera. Finally, theUAV may track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation and a preset tracking algorithm through the first camerawhose attitude has been changed.

Step S503: obtaining, by the UAV, attitude information of the firstgimbal.

Step S504: adjusting, by the UAV, attitude of the second gimbal based onthe attitude information of the first gimbal, such that the attitude ofthe second camera is consistent with the attitude of the first camera.

In some embodiments, the first camera of the UAV and the second cameraof the UAV may be in a linked mode. In other words, the first camera andthe second camera of the UAV may maintain parallel perspectives.Attitude of the second gimbal of the UAV may change correspondingly asthe attitude of the first gimbal changes. While the UAV tracks thetarget object based on the first characteristic information through thefirst camera, the UAV may obtain the attitude information of the firstgimbal, and may adjust the attitude of the second gimbal based on theattitude information of the first gimbal such that the attitude of thesecond camera is consistent with the attitude of the first camera.

Step S505: tuning, by the UAV, a camera parameter of the second cameraand obtaining image information of a regional area of the target objectthrough the second camera.

In some embodiments, the camera parameter may include the zoommagnification, the photosensitivity, etc. The regional area of thetarget object may be a part of the target object, a region correspondingto useful information that need to be obtained in the process oftracking the target object by the UAV.

In conventional technologies, when using a UAV carrying only one camerato track a target, there is a limit on the size and characteristic pointof the target. Currently available tracking algorithms may have arelatively good tracking effect for objects having a suitable size andcharacteristic points, but may have difficulty in tacking objects havingfew characteristic points and a small volume. The tracking method of thepresent disclosure uses one camera to track characteristics-rich objectsin a larger scope after expansion of the observation object, and usesanother camera to zoom in to directly observe the target. The disclosedtracking method can effectively solve the issues associated with theconventional technologies. For example, when a UAV carrying one camerais deployed to assist a traffic police, the UAV may relatively stablytrack a car body, but may have difficulty in directly tracking a licenseplate. In the present disclosure, the UAV can track the car body througha first camera (e.g., an ordinary camera), and use a second camera(e.g., a high-magnification camera) to zoon in to view the license plateinformation of the car body tracked by the first camera. Through theabove method, image information of the observation target can beeffectively obtained, tracking performance can be improved, and theapplicable scope of the tracking can be expanded.

In some embodiments, after the UAV obtains the image information of theregional area of the target object through the second camera, whiletracking the target object based on the first characteristic informationthrough the first camera, the UAV may track the regional area of thetarget object based on the obtained image information of the regionalarea of the target object.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control attitude of the first camera. The second gimbalmay be configured to control attitude of the second camera. While theUAV tracks the target object based on the obtained first characteristicinformation through the first camera, the UAV may obtain attitudeinformation of the first gimbal, and adjust attitude of the secondgimbal based on the attitude information of the first gimbal, such thatattitude of the second camera is consistent with the attitude of thefirst camera. The UAV may tune a camera parameter of the second cameraand obtain image information of a regional area of the target objectthrough the second camera. The disclosed method can significantlyimprove the tracking performance and expand the applicable scope of thetracking.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating another tracking method. Thetracking method may include:

Step S601: obtaining, by a UAV, first characteristic information of thetarget object through a first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object through the first camera mounted to thefirst gimbal of the UAV. For example, when the UAV receives a controlcommand, the UAV may control the first camera based on an instructionincluded in the control command to acquire first image information thatincludes the target object, and to obtain the first characteristicinformation of the target object based on the first image informationthat includes the target object. The first characteristic informationmay include RGB color information. The first camera may be an ordinarycamera configured to obtain the RGB color information. The first cameramay be other types of cameras configured to obtain other types ofcharacteristic information of the target object, which is not limited bythe present disclosure.

Step S602: tracking, by the UAV, the target object based on the firstcharacteristic information through the first camera.

In some embodiments, the UAV may first obtain location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera based on the obtainedfirst image information that includes the target object and the obtainedfirst characteristic information of the target object. The locationinformation of the target object relative to the first camera mayinclude: an azimuth angle of the target object relative to the firstcamera, location information of the target object in the first camera.The UAV may adjust the first gimbal based on the location information ofthe target object relative to the first camera, thereby changingattitude information of the first camera. Finally, the UAV may track thetarget object based on the first characteristic information and a presettracking algorithm through the first camera whose attitude has beenchanged.

Step S603: receiving, by the UAV, a control command input by a user, andadjusting attitude of the second gimbal based on the control command.

In some embodiments, the first camera of the UAV and the second cameraof the UAV may be operated independently. While the UAV tracks thetarget object based on the first characteristic information through thefirst camera, if the UAV receives a control command input by the user,the UAV may adjust attitude of the second gimbal based on the controlcommand. For example, after the UAV receives the control command, theUAV may adjust the attitude of the second gimbal based on an instructionincluded in the control command, thereby changing attitude informationof the second camera based on the instruction from the user. Further,during the process of adjusting the attitude of the second gimbal, theUAV may obtain image information of different regions of an environmentin which the target object is currently located through differentperspectives of the second camera.

Step S604: selecting, by the UAV, an object of interest from theenvironment in which the target object is currently located throughadjusting the attitude of the second camera.

In some embodiments, during the process of adjusting the attitude of thesecond gimbal based on the control command input by the user, if the UAVreceives a target confirmation command input by the user, the UAV maydetermine an object corresponding to the target confirmation command ina current image captured by the second camera as the object of interest.The object of interest is an object that is different from the targetobject.

Step S605: obtaining, by the UAV, image information of the object ofinterest through the second camera.

In some embodiments, after the UAV obtains the image information of theobject of interest in the environment in which the target object islocated through the second camera, while the UAV tracks the targetobject based on the first characteristic information through the firstcamera, the UAV may track the object of interest based on the obtainedimage information of the object of interest through the second camera.

In conventional technologies, when tracking a target using a UAVcarrying only one camera, the gimbal may be automatically locked, whichmakes it difficult to adjust an observation angle based on the need ofthe user. The UAV of the present disclosure includes two cameras and twogimbals corresponding to the two cameras. In the method of the presentdisclosure, while the target is tracked using the first camera, when thefirst gimbal corresponding to the first camera is locked, another freecamera, i.e., the second camera, may be used to observe a region ofinterest around the target object. Through the above method, the scopeof the UAV tracking can be significantly expanded, and the UAV trackingefficiency can be improved.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control attitude of the first camera. The second gimbalmay be configured to control attitude of the second camera. While theUAV tracks the target object based on the obtained first characteristicinformation through the first camera, if the UAV receives a controlcommand, the UAV may select an object of interest through adjusting theattitude of the second camera based on the control command. The UAV mayobtain image information of the object of interest through the secondcamera. The disclosed method can significantly improve the trackingperformance and expand the applicable scope of the tracking.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a tracking device. The tracking devicemay be implemented in a UAV. The UAV may include a first gimbal, asecond gimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal maybe configured to control the attitude of the first camera, and thesecond gimbal may be configured to control the attitude of the secondcamera. The tracking device may include:

a first acquisition module (or apparatus) 701 configured to obtain thefirst characteristic information of the target object through the firstcamera;

a second acquisition module (or apparatus) 702 configured to obtain thesecond characteristic information of the target object through thesecond camera;

a tracking module (or apparatus) 703 configured to track the targetobject based on at least one of the first characteristic information orthe second characteristic information.

In some embodiments, the tracking module 703 may be configured tosimultaneously track the target object based on the first characteristicinformation and the second characteristic information through the firstcamera and the second camera.

In some embodiments, the first characteristic information may includered, green, blue (“RGB”) color information. The second characteristicinformation may include heat distribution information.

In some embodiments, the tracking module 703 may be configured to trackthe target object based on the first characteristic information throughthe first camera.

In some embodiments, the second acquisition module 702 may be configuredto obtain third characteristic information of the target object throughthe second camera after a tracking switch command is received (or inresponse to receiving a tracking switch command).

In some embodiments, the tracking module 703 may be configured to trackthe target object based on the third characteristic information throughthe second camera.

The tracking device may also include:

a third acquisition module (or apparatus) 704 configured to obtainlocation information of the target object in the second camera;

an execution module (or apparatus) 705 configured to perform a trackinginitialization based on the location information; and

a computing module (or apparatus) 706 configured to calculate theazimuth angle of the target object relative to the UAV based on acharacteristic parameter of the first camera.

In some embodiments, the computing module 706 may be configured tocalculate the location information of the target object in the secondcamera based on a characteristic parameter of the second camera and theazimuth angle.

In some embodiments, the characteristic parameter may include at leastone of: a camera parameter or attitude information.

In some embodiments, the first acquisition module 701 may be configuredto obtain the attitude information of the first gimbal.

The tracking device may also include:

an adjustment module (or apparatus) 707 configured to adjust theattitude of the second gimbal based on the attitude information of thefirst gimbal, such that the attitude of the second camera is consistentwith the attitude of the first camera; and

a tuning module (or apparatus) 708 configured to tune a camera parameterof the second camera.

In some embodiments, the second acquisition module 702 may be configuredto obtain image information of a regional area of the target objectthrough the second camera.

The tracking device may also include:

a processing module (or apparatus) 709 configured to receive a controlcommand input by a user and adjust the attitude of the second gimbalbased on the control command.

The processing module 709 may also be configured to select an object ofinterest in an environment in which the target object is currentlylocated through adjusting the attitude of the second camera.

In some embodiments, the second acquisition module 702 may be configuredto obtain image information of the object of interest through the secondcamera.

In some embodiments, functions of the various functional modules of thetracking device may be implemented based on the various embodiments ofthe tracking method. The detailed implementation may refer to thedescriptions of the various embodiments of the tracking method, which isnot repeated.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control the attitude of the first camera, and the secondgimbal may be configured to control the attitude of the second camera.The UAV may obtain the first characteristic information of the targetobject through the first camera, and obtain the second characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera. The UAV maytrack the target object through at least one of the first characteristicinformation or the second characteristic information. The disclosedtracking device may significantly improve the tracking performance andexpand the applicable scope of the tracking.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another tracking device. The trackingdevice may include a processor 801, a communication device 802, and astorage device 803. The processor 801 may be connected with thecommunication device 802 and the storage device 803 through a bus.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may include a microcontroller, abaseband processor, a baseband chip, a digital signal processor (“DSP”),or a system on chip (“SOC”) that includes a baseband processor and anapplication processor. The communication device 802 may be a radiofrequency receiver or a radio frequency chip. For example, thecommunication device 802 may include an integrated transmitter (“TX”)and receiver (“RX”). The storage device 803 may be a memory device ofthe tracking device configured to store program and data. In someembodiments, the storage device 803 may be a high speed random accessmemory (“RAM”) storage device, or a non-volatile memory, such as atleast one magnetic storage device. The storage device 803 may include atleast one storage device remotely disposed from the processor 801.

In some embodiments, the storage device 803 may be configured to store aprogram code. The processor 801 may be configured to retrieve theprogram code stored in the storage device 803, and may execute theprogram code to perform the following operations:

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may obtain the firstcharacteristic information of the target object through the firstcamera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may obtain the secondcharacteristic information of the target object through the secondcamera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may track the target object basedon at least one of the first characteristic information or the secondcharacteristic information.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may simultaneously track thetarget object based on the first characteristic information and thesecond characteristic information through the first camera and thesecond camera.

The first characteristic information may include red, green, and blue(“RGB”) color information. The second characteristic information mayinclude heat distribution information.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may track the target object basedon the first characteristic information through the first camera.

In some embodiments, the communication device 802 may be configured toreceive a tracking switch command.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to obtain thirdcharacteristic information of the target object through the secondcamera after the communication device 802 receives the tracking switchcommand.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to track thetarget object based on the third characteristic information through thesecond camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to obtainlocation information of the target object in the second camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to perform atracking initialization based on the location information.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to calculate anazimuth angle of the target object relative to the UAV based on acharacteristic parameter of the first camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to calculatelocation information of the target object in the second camera based onthe characteristic parameter of the second camera and the azimuth angle.

In some embodiments, the characteristic parameter may include at leastone of a camera parameter or attitude information.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to obtain theattitude information of the first gimbal.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to adjustattitude of the second gimbal based on the attitude information of thefirst gimbal, such that the attitude of the second camera is consistentwith the attitude of the first camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to tune acamera parameter of the second camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to obtain imageinformation of a regional area of the target object through the secondcamera.

In some embodiments, the communication device 802 may be configured toreceive a control command input by a user.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to adjust theattitude of the second gimbal based on the control command.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to select anobject of interest in an environment in which the target object iscurrently located through adjusting the attitude of the second camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 may be configured to obtain imageinformation of the object of interest through the second camera.

In some embodiments, the processor 801 and the communication device 802,and the implementation of the various embodiments of the trackingmethod, may be applied to the implementation of the tracking deviceshown in FIG. 7, which are not repeated.

In some embodiments, the UAV may include a first gimbal, a secondgimbal, a first camera, and a second camera. The first gimbal may beconfigured to control the attitude of the first camera. The secondgimbal may be configured to control the attitude of the second camera.The UAV may obtain first characteristic information of the target objectthrough the first camera, and obtain second characteristic informationof the target object through the second camera. The UAV may track thetarget object based on at least one of the first characteristicinformation or the second characteristic information. The disclosedtracking device may significantly improve the tracking performance andexpand the applicable scope of the tracking.

It is understood that in the above embodiments of the disclosed method,for simplicity of description, the method is described as a combinationof a series of steps. A person having ordinary skills in the art canappreciate that the present disclosure is not limited by the sequence ofthe described steps because some steps may be executed in other ordersor sequences, or may be executed simultaneously. In addition, a personhaving ordinary skills in the art can appreciate, the embodimentsdescribed in this specification are example embodiments, and one or moreof the steps and modules included in these embodiments may be omitted.

A person having ordinary skills in the art can appreciate that all orsome of the steps included in each embodiment of the disclosed methodmay be realized through a computer software program instructing relatedhardware. The program may be stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include aflash memory disk, a read-only memory (“ROM”), a random access memory(“RAM”), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above embodiments are only examples of the present disclosure, anddo not limit the scope of the present disclosure. A person havingordinary skills in the art can understand all or some of the steps ofthe disclosed embodiments, and make equivalent modifications based onthe claims of the present disclosure. Such modifications still fallwithin the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tracking method, comprising: obtaining firstcharacteristic information of a target object through a first camera;obtaining second characteristic information of the target object througha second camera; and tracking the target object based on at least one ofthe first characteristic information or the second characteristicinformation.
 2. The tracking method of claim 1, wherein tracking thetarget object based on at least one of the first characteristicinformation or the second characteristic information comprises: trackingthe target object based on the first characteristic information and thesecond characteristic information through the first camera and thesecond camera.
 3. The tracking method of claim 1, wherein the firstcharacteristic information comprises red, green, and blue (“RGB”) colorinformation, and the second characteristic information comprises heatdistribution information.
 4. The tracking method of claim 1, whereintracking the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic informationcomprises: tracking the target object based on the first characteristicinformation through the first camera, wherein the tracking methodfurther comprises: in response to receiving a tracking switch command,obtaining third characteristic information of the target object throughthe second camera; and tracking the target object based on the thirdcharacteristic information through the second camera.
 5. The trackingmethod of claim 4, wherein prior to obtaining the third characteristicinformation of the target object through the second camera, the methodfurther comprises: obtaining location information of the target objectin the second camera; and performing a tracking initialization based onthe location information.
 6. The tracking method of claim 5, whereinobtaining the location information of the target object in the secondcamera comprises: calculating an azimuth angle of the target objectrelative to an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries the first camera andthe second camera based on a characteristic parameter of the firstcamera; and calculating the location information of the target object inthe second camera based on the characteristic parameter of the secondcamera and the azimuth angle.
 7. The tracking method of claim 6, whereinthe characteristic parameter comprises at least one of a cameraparameter or attitude information.
 8. The tracking method of claim 1,wherein tracking the target object based on at least one of the firstcharacteristic information or the second characteristic informationcomprises: tracking the target object based on the first characteristicinformation through the first camera, and wherein the tracking methodfurther comprises: obtaining attitude information of a first gimbal towhich the first camera is mounted; adjusting attitude of a second gimbalto which the second camera is mounted based on the attitude informationof the first gimbal to maintain consistency between attitude of thesecond camera and attitude of the first camera; and tuning a cameraparameter of the second camera and obtaining image information of aregional area of the target object through the second camera.
 9. Thetracking method of claim 1, wherein tracking the target object based onat least one of the first characteristic information or the secondcharacteristic information comprises: tracking the target object basedon the first characteristic information through the first camera, andwherein the tracking method further comprises: receiving a controlcommand input by a user, and adjusting attitude of a second gimbal;selecting an object of interest in an environment in which the targetobject is currently located through adjusting attitude of the secondcamera; and obtaining image information of the object of interestthrough the second camera.
 10. A tracking device, comprising: a firstacquisition apparatus configured to obtain first characteristicinformation of a target object through a first camera; a secondacquisition apparatus configured to obtain second characteristicinformation of the target object through a second camera; and a trackingapparatus configured to track the target object based on at least one ofthe first characteristic information or the second characteristicinformation.
 11. The tracking device of claim 10, wherein the trackingapparatus is configured to track the target object based on the firstcharacteristic information and the second characteristic informationthrough the first camera and the second camera.
 12. The tracking deviceof claim 10, wherein the first characteristic information comprises red,green, and blue (“RGB”) color information, and the second characteristicinformation comprises heat distribution information.
 13. The trackingdevice of claim 10, wherein the tracking apparatus is configured totrack the target object based on the first characteristic informationthrough the first camera, wherein the second acquisition apparatus isconfigured to obtain third characteristic of the target object throughthe second camera in response to receiving a tracking switch command,and wherein the tracking apparatus is also configured to track thetarget object based on the third characteristic information through thesecond camera.
 14. The tracking device of claim 10, further comprising:a third acquisition apparatus configured to obtain location informationof the target object in the second camera; and an execution apparatusconfigured to perform a tracking initialization based on the locationinformation.
 15. The tracking device of claim 14, further comprising: acomputing apparatus configured to: calculate an azimuth angle of thetarget object relative to an unmanned aerial vehicle that includes thetracking device based on a characteristic parameter of the first camera;and calculate the location information of the target object in thesecond camera based on a characteristic parameter of the second cameraand the azimuth angle.
 16. The tracking device of claim 15, wherein thecharacteristic parameter comprises at least one of a camera parameter orattitude information.
 17. The tracking device of claim 10, wherein thetracking apparatus is configured to track the target object based on thefirst characteristic information through the first camera, wherein thefirst acquisition apparatus is configured to obtain attitude informationof a first gimbal to which the first camera is mounted; wherein thetracking device further comprises: an adjusting apparatus configured toadjust attitude of a second gimbal to which the second camera is mountedbased on the attitude information of the first gimbal to maintainconsistency between attitude of the second camera and attitude of thefirst camera; and a tuning apparatus configured to tune a cameraparameter of the second camera, wherein the second acquisition apparatusis configured to obtain image information of a regional area of thetarget object through the second camera.
 18. The tracking device ofclaim 10, wherein the tracking apparatus is configured to track thetarget object based on the first characteristic information through thefirst camera, wherein the tracking device further comprises: aprocessing apparatus configured to receive a control command input by auser and adjust attitude of a second gimbal to which the second camerais mounted, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to select anobject of interest in an environment in which the target object iscurrently located through adjusting attitude of the second camera,wherein the second acquisition apparatus is configured to obtain imageinformation of the object of interest through the second camera.